Yes, you are wrong. And since youasked, I will make a civil attempt to explain it to you.
1. There is a huge difference in your working years and your 'earning' years. At some point in your life, you will reach a 'peak earning potential'. That applies both to the individual worker, and in regards to what his/her employer thinks they can get out of that worker. Where in time that falls, depends on a number of variables, but for most people in this modern era, it is in their late 40s-early 50s. Younger, if they are less educated, suffer sudden onset poor health, victims of downsizing/outsourcing etc. That means for over half their 'working' years', they are making less than their earning power during their prime working years. Many times--much much less. The days of working for one corporation, or even within one field untill retirement is a thing of the past, whch means every time you have to start over with a new job or field, you will likely drop down a notch or two. Employers are forbidden by law to discriminate according to age, but believe me when I say every single one does it. They will almost always look for a younger person if they canfind one to fill any need.
2. You will reach this point in your life very likely, just as your children have the most needs. College, cars, more expensive/fashionable clothing etc.
3. It is also during this time, that most adults, especially women, (including your future wife) begin to 1st feel the aging process and it's inevitable costs in health care. Make no mistake here. Health care costs can break even the most pennypinching family. It's the #1 cost in more and more families than ever before. Health care costs have never ever gone down-only up. Health insurance nowdays pays no where near what it used to, and in the very near future, it will be even worse. Tho the policies now pay less, leaving the insured to pay out more from their pocket, the premiums have skyrocketed. Employers now days even look at a person's age (yes-it's illegal), when it comes to hiring, because the older a person gets, the more it is going to cost for their health plan overall. The growing trend, is toward the employer paying nothing at all for The Plan, leaving the employee to pay it all, including built in administrative costs.
4. When the day comes that you are working the same amt. but earning less, (and you will know when that day arrives, but not before), you will wish you had back the money you are spending so freely today.
5. I know you think all this is a long way down the road for you personally, but trust me, it isn't. It may even be right around the corner. Anything can happen at any time and the $12K you now have can evaporate into just keeping your head above water.

It keeps getting better and better !

And that doesn’t cover basic econ at all... which is what I wanted explained.

AGAIN I’m only 21 and in no way should any normal 21 year old be all prepared for what’s going to happen when he’s 49... are you crazy? I’d just be saving all my money and then I couldn’t enjoy what I worked so hard to make...

Again we can have this conversation again when I’m 24 and finished my degree!

Till then I’m done with this thread... unless you guys want to talk about the irresponsibility of white trash parents... like how they buy mini bikes that go 70mph for their 4 year old.

Why should anyone here waste their time trying to educate you? Besides, you've apparently already got everything figured out.

Nice words from an aspiring Peace Officer.

Are you going to read this to your class on graduation day? Your classmates and instructor will be so proud.

All BS aside, this very rant would probably make you ineligible to be hired as a police officer.
I worked with/around cops for ten years. Some of them were great people. Some of them had absolutely no business carrying a badge and a gun.

I completely forgot that you wanted to be a cop. Be sure to tell us when you enroll in the Academy.
I'll be sure to forward that rant on to to the powers that be. You have no f*cking business being a police officer with an attitude such as yours. For your own sake, you had better hope that those in a hiring position are perceptive enough to see you for what you really are. If not, you will probably be in prison for abuse of power in very short order. I can see it now.

You obviously forgot that I gave up that dream... and your right I have no business being a cop... but for different reasons.

1. I'm not a bigot... every cop I know uses racial slang’s and hates blacks and Mexicans.
2. I don’t take what I should pay for... every cop I know takes free food, drink and anything else given to them because they are cops
3. Id never abuse an inmate... every cop I ever worked with in the jail beat them, or spit on them... or degraded them with words.

And when I refused to take free coffee at 7/11 on a ride alone with one of our advisors and thus embarrassing him in front of his friends (other officers) I was denied a promotion I had worked very hard for and deserved and had been previously promised ... I was also given every **** job they had for me... and when I complained I was told to either deal or quit... so I did!